EVANSTON-Once fans knew running back Cam Porter had another year of eligibility, his return to Northwestern seemed inevitable. As it turns out, it wasn’t.

"It was definitely a tough decision," he said after Saturday’s open spring practice at Martin Field. "I had long talks with my family, with [head coach [David] Braun, but ultimately I came to the decision that returning would be for the best... I had kind of a bad taste in my mouth from last year."

In 2024, Porter was named a two-time captain and earned the honor of donning the team's No. 1 jersey. He seemed set to cap off a Northwestern career that has seen epic highs, such as a breakout three-game stretch as a freshman in 2020 featuring wins over Illinois and Auburn; and some difficult lows, like a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2021 season.

Last year, Porter was once again impacted by injury. He played in 11 games, but after an injury against Eastern Illinois he missed the Washington game and averaged just 10.25 carries per game in the final eight games. The team finished 4-8, and lost of five of its last six games.

A bad taste, indeed.

"It didn't feel like I ended with a note I wanted to end on," he said. "I had a long conversation with Coach Braun and after that. I was ready to get lifting, ready to get working... I'm really excited to be back and I'm ready to take this program where we need to be, return it where it needs to be."

Running backs coach Chris Foster was hired away by Duke in January, and Northwestern moved swiftly to replace him with Aristotle Thompson from Cal. Thompson knew straightaway that Porter would be the rock on which he builds his church.

"He's invaluable," Thompson said. "He's been here for six years, he's been through change and persevered. It hasn't been an easy journey for Cam and so for him to still be standing tall at every workout, there early in the morning and late at night...

"He truly is a beacon for anybody that's here, not just the football team, not just the locker room, but the whole school."

Thompson was drawn to Northwestern by its strong academic pedigree, matching his previous stops at Cal for five seasons and Cal Poly for 11. He also had crossed paths with Braun before, when Thompson was coaching the running backs at Poly and Braun was coaching defensive line for UC Davis in 2015-16.

"We didn't have a pre-existing relationship, but we had pre-existing respect," Thompson said. "I'm watching his players, he's watching mine. We have a working respect even though Poly and Davis are bitter rivals."

Thompson marks the third running backs coach for Porter in his six-season tenure, and the third in the last four seasons. The seasoned back said he's had no problem keeping his bearings and working to elevate his game each time.

"I don't think it's disorienting because our head coaches do a really good job of brining really qualified individuals into our room," Porter said. "They all have unique styles but they're all really good men, all knowledgeable, and I've learned so much from each and every one of them...

"I'm really excited to grow my relationship with Coach AT... I know he has a lot of knowledge to give and I want to embrace all of it."

Thompson described his coaching style as aggressive and relationship-driven, building a caring foundation before driving home insight with emphasis.

"I think that when you formulate relationships, and people know you care, they care about what you know," he said. "Then I get a chance to really show what I know about the game. I get to be aggressive in the coaching points and in the details because they know it's coming from a place of love, not some guy that wants to be a loud mouth."

It's a style that's clicked with the veteran Porter.

"Coach Thompson, he's a pro," Porter said. "He's on us each and every day. I love that he's really big on the small details. That's what's going to take our room to the next level... I'm really excited for the rest of the offseason with him to grow our relationship."

With one more summer of work ahead, Porter and Thompson think they can reestablish Northwestern's standard and leave Porter with a better taste in his mouth before he sails off into the sunset.